Arriving home from a routine day at work Anna Cottrell has no idea that her life is about to change forever. But discovering the stabbed body of a stranger in her flat then becoming prime suspect in a murder inquiry is only the beginning. Her persistent claims of innocence start to crumble when new evidence links her irrevocably with the victim ... Leading her first murder investigation DCI Helen Lavery unravels a trail of deception family secrets and betrayal. When people close to the Cottrell family start to disappear Lavery is forced into a race against time. Can she catch the killer before he executes his ultimate victim?